Italian Stuffed Peppers (Super Easy!)
Jun 04, 2019, Updated Feb 25, 2025
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These Italian stuffed peppers are a delicious and easy meal option for any night of the week. Filled with savory ground beef, rice, and cheese, they are sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
It’s always nice to have simple meal ideas at hand that don’t come from a box. I love being able to cook a full meal with leftovers and just a few seasonal ingredients. Italian style baked stuffed peppers are one of those recipes that I always make when I want to use up some leftover rice or vegetables.
It’s an easy stuffed pepper recipe that’s ready in less than 90 minutes and tastes as if you spent half the day in the kitchen. It freezes really well and you can easily adjust the ingredients and spices to match your preference.
Baked stuffed peppers are one of the most convenient dinners out there. You can have them with different ingredients and flavors such as Mexican stuffed peppers, Mediterranean stuffed peppers and of course, spicy stuffed peppers. This Italian stuffed peppers recipe is one of our favorites because of all the tasty spices and ingredients.
Italian Style Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
To make these flavor-packed stuffed peppers, you’ll need:
Olive oil: For sautéing the vegetables and beef.
Onion: Adds sweetness and depth to the filling.
Ground beef: The main protein of the dish (can be substituted with turkey, chicken, or sausage).
Garlic: Enhances the flavors of the filling.
Mushrooms: Add a meaty texture and umami flavor.
Spinach: Provides extra nutrients and a pop of color.
Cooked rice: Helps bind the filling together.
Pasta sauce: Brings in rich tomato flavor. You can use either homemade or store bought pasta sauce.
Italian seasoning: A blend of herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme.
Salt and pepper: To season the filling.
Bell peppers: I prefer using orange, yellow and red bell peppers as they’re sweeter than green bell pepper.
Mozzarella cheese: Melts beautifully on top of the stuffed peppers.
Fresh parsley: Adds freshness and color as a garnish.
How to Make Italian Stuffed Peppers
Step 1: Prepare the Filling
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion until golden brown. Add in the ground beef and cook until brown. Add garlic, mushroom and spinach to the beef mixture. Cook until mushrooms are soft and spinach is wilted. Stir in the cooked rice, pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and salt and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the Filling
Bring a pot of water to boil and cut the top part of the bell peppers. Save them to use later on as lids. Clean the inside of the bell peppers and steam them for about five to ten minutes. This will soften the peppers a little bit so they cook faster in the oven, which will prevent the filling from drying out.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake
Once the peppers are steamed, fill them with the filling and sprinkle with chopped parsley and mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Place the peppers in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the peppers are tender.
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
Instant pot always makes cooking so quick and easy. If you own an instant pot, you can skip the oven and make these easy stuffed peppers in the instant pot following these steps:
- Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and save them. Clean the insides by removing the seeds and veins.
- Mix the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. You only need the rice to be cooked and you can use raw beef for instant pot stuffed peppers.
- Stuffed the bell peppers with the filling.
- Place a trivet with handles in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water.
- Arrange the bell peppers on the trivet.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is on “sealing”.
- Press “pressure cook” or “manual” and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Do a natural release for 5 minutes and then a quick release. Open the lid and serve the stuffed peppers.
What to Serve with Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are usually served as a main dish and can be served with so many different sides such as seasonal and green salads, roasted potatoes or baked potatoes or even just bread. Some of our favorite side dishes for stuffed peppers are:
Salad: A light and refreshing salad like Mediterranean salad, Cucumber tomato avocado salad, and Vegetarian Italian chopped salad balances the richness of the stuffed peppers.
Crusty bread: A slice of warm sourdough or Italian bread is perfect for soaking up the extra sauce.
Tzatziki or garlic yogurt sauce: A cool and tangy yogurt sauce pairs beautifully with the seasoned filling.
Roasted potatoes: Crispy roasted potatoes with olive oil and rosemary make a great side dish.
Pasta on the side: A small serving of spaghetti or orzo with marinara complements the Italian flavors.
Storage
Fridge: Store cooked stuffed peppers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When reheating, place them in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes .The microwave works too (2-3 minutes).
Freezing: You can freeze stuffed peppers before or after baking! Store them in freezer safe containers for up to three months. When ready to eat, I bake them straight from frozen at 350°F for about 45-50 minutes. If I have cooked leftovers, I freeze those too and reheat them in the oven until warmed through.
Pro Tips
I always go for colorful bell peppers. Red, yellow, and orange peppers are naturally sweeter and taste much better than green.
Steaming the peppers before baking is a game-changer. It helps them cook faster and keeps the filling moist.
I love making this recipe even easier by using leftover cooked ground beef and rice—it saves so much time! The filling is packed with flavor, thanks to Italian seasoning, which gives it that perfect earthy, aromatic taste.
I love switching up the protein. Sometimes I use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even Italian sausage for a different twist.
If you’re vegetarian, don’t worry! You can replace the ground meat with lentils, quinoa, or a plant-based meat substitute.
Adding extra veggies makes it even better. I often toss in diced zucchini, carrots, or eggplant to pack in more nutrients.
Cheese lovers, take note! Mozzarella is my go-to, but I also love using parmesan, provolone, or even ricotta for a different flavor profile.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! Swap the rice for quinoa, couscous, bulgur, or cauliflower rice for a low-carb version.
Absolutely! While mozzarella is classic, you can try parmesan, provolone, ricotta, or even cheddar for a unique twist.
I like to steam them for a few minutes before stuffing, but you can skip this step if you prefer a firmer texture.
For oven and crockpot versions, yes, I always pre-cook the beef. But for Instant Pot stuffed peppers, you can use raw beef since it will cook under pressure.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
More Italian Recipes
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Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe
Breakfast and Brunch
Italian Baked Eggs in Marinara Sauce
Mediterranean recipes
Italian Homemade Beef Stew
Mediterranean recipes
Easy Italian Meatball Recipe
Italian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Saute onion until golden brown, add in ground beef and brown it completely.
- Add in garlic and stir well.
- Add mushrooms and spinach. Mix well and cook until mushrooms are cooked and spinach is wilted.
- Add in cooked rice, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir and combine well. Turn the heat off.
- Cut the top of the bell peppers, clean out the seeds and set them aside.
- Bring a pot of water to boil and steam the bell peppers for almost 5 minutes.
- Fill the bell peppers with the filling, top with shredded mozzarella and parsley. Place the top part of the bell peppers on as lids.
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce in a baking dish and place the stuffed peppers in the dish.
- Cover with an aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes until the bell peppers are soft to your preference.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- You can use leftover white rice for this stuffed peppers recipe.
- You can use homemade or store-bought pasta sauce.
- Crock pot stuffed peppers: Follow the recipe’s steps and cook the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours.
-
Instant pot stuffed peppers:
- Cut off the tops of the bell peppers, and remove the seeds and veins to clean the insides.
- Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl. You don’t need to cook the beef or the vegetables, but you still need to use cooked rice. Stuff the bell peppers with the filling.
- Place a trivet with handles in the instant pot, add 1 cup of water, and arrange the bell peppers on the trivet.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is on “sealing”. Press “pressure cook” or “manual” and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Do a natural release for 5 minutes and then a quick release.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Healthy and delicious. Also they freeze well for a make ahead meal.This is delicious! This will be made often!5 stars
Quick and Easy Family Recipes
Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals. Love this Italian twist!
Thanks Jessica!
These look so good. Pepper stuffed with saucy beef, yes please!
Thanks Sharon!
Thanks for all the tips! I love that you can freeze these or make them in the crock pot! We’ll be having these this weekend!
Hope you love them Pam!
This is one of my favorite meals, thanks for reminding! Love that you used spinach and mushrooms, and that cheese on top, looks totally delicious!
Thank you Alina! Stuffed pepper are our favorite too!
I now want stuffed peppers for dinner tonight instead of the chicken defrosting in my refrigerator. This looks really yummy!
Thank you Lois! This is our favorite dinner as well!